Archery bows are commonly used by sportsmen on hunting trips for killing game, such as deer. A popular approach used in hunting deer requires taking a stand at a single location in proximity to a deer run and waiting for the game to come within arrow range. Hunting in this manner usually requires prolonged waiting periods, during which time the hunter must remain mentally alert and relaxed. Above all, the hunter must remain in a quiet, stationary position to camouflauge his presence and avoid frightening the game.
One approach to meeting these requirements involves the use of a portable climbing tree stand, wherein a light-weight, rigid platform is attached to a tree by a support belt in a horizontal, elevated position above the ground. The hunter sits on the tree stand in a relaxed and ready position waiting for the game to enter the area. In this stance, the hunter must have his bow on the platform or resting against the tree. However, in either position it is often difficult for the archer to reach for his bow and fit an arrow thereto for firing in a rapid and quiet manner without frightening the deer.
To eliminate the aforesaid difficulty, archery arrow support devices are often used to clamp an arrow to the handle section of the bow with the nocked end provided with fletching fitted to the bow string. One type of arrow holder of which I am aware is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,145 to Handy wherein arrow gripping jaws carried by first and second pairs of links in a lazy tongue assembly attached to the bow are capable of clamping against the arrow by drawing the bowstring into a partially drawn position to lock the link assembly into a clamping position. A locking mechanism provided on the assembly is operable to release the jaws when the bow string is subsequently moved toward a fully drawn position from the partially drawn position.
One problem associated with this prior art support device is that the bowstring must be partially drawn to clamp the jaws against the arrow. This arrangement tends to be unsafe in the event that the bow or arrow is inadvertently dropped or bumped against a tree, possibly causing the locking mechanism to release the arrow with sufficient force to cause injury. Also, in the event that an archer is stalking game by moving through a hunting area, the requirement of partially drawing the bowstring to clamp the arrow in position increases the bulkiness of the bow and arrow, hampering the archer's progress through the woods. In addition, the aforesaid prior art device does not sufficiently spread the jaws apart to release the arrow, the jaws thus tend to contact the arrow fletching, adversely affecting the trajectory of flight.
Another type of arrow support device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,691,974 to Nelson wherein a pair of rollers are mounted on a yoke fixed to a spring biased U-shaped lever allowing the rollers to clamp against the arrow without requiring the bow string to be either partially or fully drawn. By pushing on the lever against the bias of the spring, the rollers disengage the arrow and are pivoted 90.degree. out of the arrow flight axis by means of a spring biased arm having an upper end journalled in a hub secured to the bow by means of a bracket. A pin provided within a recess of the hub limits the turning movement of the arm as it pivots to a neutral position.
While the aforesaid prior art arrow support device avoids some of the prior art problems discussed above, the arrangement of parts with the requirement that the holder project forward from the bow results in a somewhat bulky structure that may prevent the bow from being supported on various known types of holding bracket assemblies commonly used in conjunction with portable tree stands. In addition, the requirement of manually flipping the U-shaped lever to disengage the rollers from the arrow against the bias of the clamping spring so that the rollers can be pivoted by the hub spring through 90.degree. to a neutral position requires the archer to apply continuous pressure to the U-shaped lever against the spring bias until the rollers clear the arrow. This release procedure can be somewhat time consuming. Also, should the archer release the U-shaped lever before the rollers clear the arrow, there is a tendency for the rollers to spring back into clamping position requiring repeated effort by the archer to release the rollers. Also, when the rollers spring back to clamping contact, noise generated is likely to frighten the deer. Even if the archer is successful in maintaining the lever in a partially rotated position against the spring bias so that the rollers clear the arrow, a loud clicking noise is generated as the hub pin rotates into contact with a wall of the recess to limit turning movement of the rollers, again possibly frightening deer that have just entered the area.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an arrow support device that is easily attachable to the handle portion of an archery bow to safely clamp an arrow to the bow and bowstring in a shooting position without transmitting appreciable tension to the bowstring.
Another object of the invention is to provide an arrow support device that is a compact structure positioned between the bow and bowstring to avoid interfering contact with external objects while permitting the archer to handle the bow as in normal use without interference.
Still another object is to provide an arrow support device that is quiet and rapid in operation to avoid frightening game.
Yet a further object is to provide a device that is easy for the archer to operate in clamping and unclamping the arrow to the bow.